Pathname rules for Windows client backups
To back up Windows clients, use the following conventions for entries in the backup selections list.
Table: Pathname rules for Windows client backups
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Paths per line | Enter one path per line. |
Colons and backslashes | Begin all paths with the drive letter followed by a colon (:) and a backslash (\). To specify an entire volume, append a backslash (\) to the entry to ensure that all data is protected on that volume: Correct entry: c:\ Incorrect entry: c: |
Case sensitivity | The drive letter and path are case-insensitive. The following example entries would successfully indicate the same directory: c:\Worklists\Admin\ C:\worklists\admin\ c:\WORKLISTS\Admin\ C:\Worklists\ADMIN\ Note: If a path is listed in the Backup Selections tab more than once, the data is backed up more than once. |
Wildcards | Asterisks (*) and question marks (?) are the only wildcard characters allowed in the backup selection list for Windows clients. Square brackets and curly brackets are not valid for Windows clients and can cause backups to fail with a status 71. For Windows clients, wildcards function correctly only when they are placed at the end of the path, in the file or directory name. For example: C:\abc\xyz\r*.doc Wildcard characters do not work elsewhere in the path. For example, an asterisk functions as a literal character (not as a wildcard) in the following examples: C:\*\xyz\myfile C:\abc\*\myfile |
All local drives | To back up all local drives except for those that use removable media, specify the following: :\ Or *:\Or ALL_LOCAL_DRIVESThe following drives are not backed up: floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and any drives that are located on remote systems but mounted on a system through the network. |
Use of mapped drives | Do not specify a local drive path that is mapped to a CIFS share using the Windows Map Network Drive option. This holds true for a policy that contains multiple clients as well. Do not specify paths that point to different CIFS shares. For example: P: Q: R: |
Use of UNC path(s) | If a backup policy contains multiple clients that specify a UNC path as a backup selection, the redundant backup copies are created of the same data from different clients. Consider including the host in a policy as a client to be backed up. For example: \\host_name\dir1 |
Omitted or excluded files | By default, NetBackup does not back up some files. See Files that are excluded from backups by default. Exclude specific files from backups by creating an exclusion list on the client. See About excluding files from automatic backups. The following backup selection list uses Windows conventions: c:\ d:\workfiles\ e:\Special\status c:\tests\*.exe |